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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. U. HOELL, FIRE ESCAPE.

No, 317,534. Patented May 12, 1885.

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(No Model 7 C.- HOELL.

' FIRE ESCAPE.

. No. 317,534. Patented'May 12, 1885'.

M446 Attorney 2 SheetsSheet. 2.

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFI E.

CHRISTOPHER HonL-L, or sr. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,534, dated May 12, 1885.

' Application filed April 13, 1885. (no model.)

To an whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER HOELL a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and

to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification..

My invention has relation to a new and improved system of fire-escapes; and the object isto provide a means for enabling a skilled corps of well-drilled men, equipped, as hereinafter described, to render effective service at fires, either in conjunction with the regular firemen or independently thereof; and to this end .the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the apparatus, as will be hereinafter more fully de scribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims;

, ,In the accompanying drawings the same let ters of reference indicate like parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of the improved scaling-ladder. Fig. 2 is a view showing the manner of using the ladder. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the belt worn by the members of the corps. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the safety-tube ready for hoisting. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the safetytube in position for use. Fig. 6 is a view showing the manner of using the snap-hook as a fire-escape. Fig. 7 is a detail of the rods on the mouth of the safety-tube to keep it open I when in use, and also to secure it inside the window, the small detail showing the swivel-joints connecting the cross-rods. Fig. 8 is a section of the safety-tube, showing one of the outlets. Fig. 9 is a cross-section of the beam of the scaling-ladder; and Fig. 10 is a section of the tube opposite one of the outlets, showing the stitches in diagonal dotted lines, which are used to secure an extra piece of canvas to re-enforce the tube at these points.

Thescaling-ladder consists of asinglebeam,

has an offset, 0, below which it is bifurcated, to form two straps or bands, a. a, extending down and around the beam A, and it is suitably secured to said beam at intervals by screws or rivets.

c c are two small bands, which are firmly driven down over the taper portion ofthe shank O, to secure it rigidly to the beam. Therungs D D are secured in the beam A at suitable intervals, as shown in Fig. 1. The arm B has a hook, E, and its under side is provided with teeth 0e. These ladders are fromsixteen to eighteen feet long, and being very light can be handled with the greatest facility by one man, who raises the ladder so as to place the hooked arm over the sill of the window at the first story. If the window should be down and the blinds closed, the hook may be driven through the blind and sash to break them and secure the ladder, as shown in'Fig. 2. 'Each man is provided with a-belt, F, having astrong snap-hool ,'F, secured thereto. This belt has a loop, 9, into which the hook vmay- I be snapped, when not in use, to keep it from interfering with the movements of the wearer or being in his way.

. H is a hatchet secured in a a case, h, and it" is intended to be used for cutting through iron shutters or other places not ordinarily accessible. 3

I is a pouch for spikes or staples, to be driven where convenient to fasten one end of a rope to, when desired, to be used in connection with the snap-hook as an individual es-\ cape, which will be hereinafter more fully described. Each man is provided with a rope or life-line, J, plaited like a chain-stitch and carried over the left shoulder and under the right arm, as shown in Fig. 2, and, being thus equipped, ascends the ladder, already raised in position, until he arrives at the top. Having attained this position, he then snaps his hook into the offset a, which insures his safety and allows the free use of both hands. A second ladder is then handed to him,and he places it in position on the sill of the next story above him,which, being done,he ascends it and takes a similar position at the top of it. Meanwhile a second man, similarly equipped,

takes No. ls position on the first ladder, and the third ladder is placed in position,and so on until the desired story or top of the building is reached. If it should be necessary to raise a line of hose to that point, the man at that station lowers the life-line which he carries and hauls the hose up. When the safety-tube is to be placed in position, one of the men takes hold of the end of the coiled rope K and ascends to the proper fioor and hauls up the tube after him, and, after the mouth of the tube is inside of the window, the bars k 70 are placed horizontally across the inside of the sash, and the short bars 7c is, being vertical, keep the mouth of the tube open,while the other ones hold the tube in position. The men on the ground then carry the lower portion of the tube out toward the middle of the street to give it the proper slope, and one man on each side of the tube holds it in position, the one on the right hand grasping the brake-line s. The inmates of the building are then placed, one at a time, in the mouth of the tube on their backs and head foremost, this position being the best to prevent their hands and faces being ohafed by the friction as. they slide. The brake-line 8 passes through rings 8, secured around the outside of the tube at distances corresponding to the different stories, and, by drawing on the line, the tube is contracted at that point to prevent the too rapid descent of the person.

In Fig. 8is shown the manner of closing the outlets above the one in use, a laced rope, 25, passing backward and forward to lace up the mouth of the opening, and the whole is covered and protected by the strap and buckle mt. The rods 7c 70 and kk are hinged together at their intersecting points by band-swivels co, which hold them open, as shown in Fig. 7, or permit their being folded when not in use, as shown in Fig. 4.

In the detail shown in Fig. 9, two forms of the bands at a are shown, one, a, being a T- iron brace letinto the beam, and a being a rectangular band, the surface of which is flush with the surface of the beam, making the beam very light and strong, and perfectly easy on the hands of those using the ladder.

In Fig. 10 is represented a section of the safety-tube opposite one of the outlets, the

stitches being shown in dotted lines, which secure the extra piece of canvas to re-enforce the tube. This tube, being made of canvas, should be wet with a stream of water from the hose, to prevent scorching when in active use at a fire. When one of themen on the top of a burning building or on one of the stories is cut off from escape, or when only one occupant is to be saved, the man takes one of the staples from his belt and drives it into the wall or flooring, and makes the end of his life-line J fast to it, and then takes two turns around his snap-hook, as shown in Fig. 6, and using the loose end of the rope for a brake as it passes through his right hand, his left being used to steady himself, proceeds to descend. If a second person is to descend with him, he takes another turn with the life-line around the snap-hook, and the person, grasping the hook with both hands, descends as above stated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful,.and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A scaling-ladder for fire-escape use,con-

'sisting of a single-beam, A, having hooked arm B, provided with a metallic band, secured thereto so as to be flush with the surface of thebeam, as set forth.

2. A single-beam fire-escape ladder bound with a continuous metallic band flush with the surface of the beam, as set forth.

tersecting points by the swivel joints o, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with a safety tube pro vided with outlets, of the lace-line t and'the strap and buckle u u, as and for the purpose h set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature:

W. A. JoHNsoN, E. A. WATSON. 

